A decade of geodetic change at Kīlauea’s summit—Observations, interpretations, and unanswered questions from studies of the 2008–2018 Halemaʻumaʻu eruption
Michael P. Poland, Asta Miklius, Ingrid A. Johanson, Kyle R. Anderson
2021, Professional Paper 1867-G
On March 19, 2008, a small explosion heralded the onset of an extraordinary eruption at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The following 10 years provided unprecedented access to an actively circulating lava lake located within a region monitored by numerous geodetic tools, including Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), interferometric synthetic...
Influence of redox gradients on nitrate transport from the landscape to groundwater and streams
Anthony J. Tesoriero, Laurel E. Stratton, Matthew P. Miller
2021, Science of the Total Environment (800) 1-12
Increases in nitrogen applications to the land surface since the 1950s have led to a cascade of negative environmental impacts, including degradation of drinking water supplies, nutrient enrichment of aquatic ecosystems and contributions to global climate change. In this study, groundwater, streambed porewater, and stream sampling were used to establish...
Assessing specific-capacity data and short-term aquifer testing to estimate hydraulic properties in alluvial aquifers of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA
Connor P. Newman, Zachary D. Kisfalusi, Michael J. Holmberg
2021, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (38) 1-20
Study Region: Rocky Mountains, United StatesStudy Focus: Groundwater-flow modeling requires estimates of hydraulic properties, namely hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic conductivity values commonly vary over orders of magnitudes however and estimation may require extensive field campaigns applying slug or pumping tests. As an alternative, specific-capacity tests can be used to estimate hydraulic...
Managed aquifer recharge suitability—Regional screening and case studies in Jordan and Lebanon
Daniel J. Goode, editor(s)
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1089
The U.S. Geological Survey, at the request of the U.S. Agency for International Development, led a 5-year regional project to develop and apply methods for water availability and suitability mapping for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in the Middle East and North Africa region. A regional model of surface runoff for...
A greener future for the Galapagos: Forecasting ecosystem productivity by finding climate analogs in time
Noah D. Charney, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Charles Yackulic, Stephen Blake, James P. Gibbs
Dawn M Browning, editor(s)
2021, Ecosphere (12) 1-12
Forecasting ecosystem response to climate change is critical for guiding policymaking but challenging due to: complicated relationships between microclimates and regional climates; species’ responses that are driven by extremes rather than averages; the multifaceted nature of species’ interactions; and the lack of historical analogs to future climates. Given these challenges,...
Challenges in updating habitat suitability models: An example with the lesser prairie-chicken
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Pairsa Nicole Belamaric, Kent Fricke, Mike Houts, Liza Rossi, Grant M. Beauprez, Brett Cooper, Russell Martin
2021, PLoSOne (16)
Habitat loss from land-use change is one of the top causes of declines in wildlife species of concern. As such, it is critical to assess and reassess habitat suitability as land cover and anthropogenic features change for both monitoring and developing current information to inform management decisions. However, there are...
Stable isotope and geochemical characterization of nutrient sources and surface water near a confined animal feeding operation in the Big Creek watershed of northwest Arkansas
Kelly Sokolosky, Phillip D. Hays
Eve L. Kuniansky, Lawrence E. Spangler, editor(s)
2021, Conference Paper, U.S. Geological Survey Karst Interest Group Proceedings, October 19–20, 2021
A concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) established in Newton County, Arkansas, near Big Creek, a tributary of the Buffalo National River, raised concern about potential degradation of water quality in the karst watershed. In this study, isotopic tools were combined with standard geochemical approaches to characterize nutrient sources and dynamics...
Manganese in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system, eastern USA—Modeling regional occurrence with pH, redox, and machine learning
Leslie A. DeSimone, Katherine Marie Ransom
2021, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (37)
Study region: The study was conducted in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system, eastern USA, an important water supply in a densely populated region.Study focus: Manganese (Mn), an emerging health concern and common nuisance contaminant in drinking water, is mapped and modeled using the XGBoost machine learning method, predictions...
Hierarchical clustering for paired watershed experiments: Case study in southeastern Arizona, U.S.A.
Roy Petrakis, Laura M. Norman, Kurt Vaughn, Richard Pritzlaff, Caleb Weaver, Audrey J Rader, H. Ronald Pulliam
2021, Water (13)
Watershed studies are often onerous due to a lack of data available to portray baseline conditions with which to compare results of monitoring environmental effects. A paired-watershed approach is often adopted to simulate baseline conditions in an adjacent watershed that can be comparable but assumes there is...
Incorporation of uncertainty to improve projections of tidal wetland elevation and carbon accumulation with sea-level rise
Kevin Buffington, Christopher N. Janousek, Bruce D. Dugger, John C. Callaway, Lisa Schile-Beers, Evyan Borgnis Sloane, Karen M. Thorne
2021, PLoS ONE (16)
Understanding the rates and patterns of tidal wetland elevation changes relative to sea-level is essential for understanding the extent of potential wetland loss over the coming years. Using an enhanced and more flexible modeling framework of an ecosystem model (WARMER-2), we explored sea-level rise (SLR) impacts...
Are Cisco and Lake Whitefish competitors? An analysis of historical fisheries in Michigan waters of the Upper Laurentian Great Lakes
Benjamin J. Rook, Michael J. Hansen, Charles R. Bronte
2021, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (12) 524-539
Historically, Cisco Coregonus artedi and Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis were abundant throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes, but overharvest, habitat degradation, and interactions with exotic species caused most populations to collapse by the mid-1900s. Strict commercial fishery regulations and improved environmental and ecological conditions allowed Cisco to partially recover only...
Spatial and temporal overlap between foraging shorebirds and spawning horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) in the Cape Romain-Santee Delta Region of the U.S. Atlantic coast
F. Takahashi, F. Sanders, Patrick G.R. Jodice
2021, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (133) 58-72
Shorebird use of horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs as food items has been well documented along the Atlantic coast of the United States at northeastern stopover sites such as the Delaware Bay. However, the relationship between migratory shorebirds and horseshoe crab eggs has not been well studied in the South...
Resource selection functions based on hierarchical generalized additive models provide new insights into individual animal variation and species distribution
Jennifer D McCabe, John Clare, Tricia A. Miller, Todd E. Katzner, Jeff Cooper, Scott G. Somershoe, David Hanni, Christine A. Kelly, Robert Sargent, Eric C. Soehren, Carrie Threadgill, Mercedes Maddox, Jonathan Stober, Mark S. Martell, Thomas Salo, Andrew Berry, Michael J. Lanzone, Melissa A. Braham, Christopher J.W. McClure
2021, Ecography (44) 1756-1768
Habitat selection studies are designed to generate predictions of species distributions or inference regarding general habitat associations and individual variation in habitat use. Such studies frequently involve either individually indexed locations gathered across limited spatial extents and analyzed using resource selection functions (RSFs) or spatially extensive...
U.S. Geological Survey Karst Interest Group Proceedings, October 19–20, 2021
Eve L. Kuniansky, Lawrence E. Spangler, editor(s)
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5019
Karst hydrogeologic systems represent challenging and unique conditions to scientists attempting to study groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Karst terrains are characterized by distinct and beautiful landscapes, caverns, and springs, and many of the exceptional karst areas are designated as national or state parks. The range and complexity of landforms...
Landsat Update October 2021
Anya Hartpence
2021, Newsletter
No abstract available....
Sediment transport in the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River near Stanley, Idaho, water years 2012–19
Gregory M. Clark, Scott D. Ducar
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5111
Placer and dredging operations in the Yankee Fork Basin, Idaho, have left more than 5 miles of the lower Yankee Fork of the Salmon River (Yankee Fork) in a highly altered fluvial condition, resulting in poor habitat quantity and quality for native fish species. Since 2011, the Bureau of...
A comparison of Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Provisional Aquatic Reflectance science product, Sentinel–2B, and WorldView–3 imagery for empirical satellite-derived bathymetry, Unalakleet, Alaska
Sandra K. Poppenga, Jeffrey J. Danielson
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5097
Satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) based upon an empirical band ratio method is a cost-effective means for mapping nearshore bathymetry in coastal areas vulnerable to natural hazards. This is particularly important for the low-lying coastal community of Unalakleet, Alaska, that has been negatively affected not only by flooding, storm surge, and historically...
Changes in vegetation structure and gopher tortoise population structure after 17 years of restoration management
Rebecca C. Pudner, Hardin Waddle, Suzi P. Mersmann, John S. Kush, Craig Guyer, Sharon M. Hermann
2021, Natural Areas Journal (41) 273-282
We examined a study plot sampled in the Conecuh National Forest of southern Alabama in 1999 and again in 2016 after stand thinning and persistent prescribed fire were used to improve habitat quality. These management activities were designed, in part, to enhance habitat quality for the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus),...
Testing a generalizable machine learning workflow for aquatic invasive species on Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in northwest Montana
Sean C. Carter, Charles B. van Rees, Brian K. Hand, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Gordon Luikart, John S Kimball
2021, Frontiers in Big Data (October 2021)
Biological invasions are accelerating worldwide, causing major ecological and economic impacts in aquatic ecosystems. The urgent decision-making needs of invasive species managers can be better met by the integration of biodiversity big data with large-domain models and data-driven products. Remotely sensed data products can be combined with existing invasive species...
Acute mortality in California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) and Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) caused by Ribeiroia ondatrae (Class: Trematoda)
Saskia Keller, Constance Roderick, Christopher Caris, Daniel A. Grear, Rebecca A. Cole
2021, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife (16) 255-261
In early September 2019, a morbidity and mortality event affecting California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) and Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) in late stages of metamorphosis was reported at a National Wildlife Refuge in Santa Cruz County, California, U.S.A. During the postmortem disease investigation, severe integumentary metacercarial (Class:...
The effects of ENSO and the North American monsoon on mast seeding in two Rocky Mountain conifer species
Andreas Wion, Ian Pearse, Kyle C. Rodman, Thomas T. Veblen, Miranda Redmond
2021, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (376)
We aimed to disentangle the patterns of synchronous and variable cone production (i.e. masting) and its relationship to climate in two conifer species native to dry forests of western North America. We used cone abscission scars to reconstruct ca 15 years of recent cone production in Pinus edulis and Pinus ponderosa, and used redundancy analysis...
The ecology and evolution of synchronized reproduction in long-lived plants
Mario B. Pesendorfer, Davide Ascoli, Michal Bogdziewicz, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Ian Pearse, Giorgio Vacchiano
2021, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (376)
Populations of many long-lived plants exhibit spatially synchronized seed production that varies extensively over time, so that seed production in some years is much higher than on average, while in others, it is much lower or absent. This phenomenon termed masting or mast seeding has important consequences for plant reproductive success, ecosystem dynamics and...
Machine learning predictions of nitrate in groundwater used for drinking supply in the conterminous United States
Katherine Marie Ransom, Bernard T. Nolan, Paul E. Stackelberg, Kenneth Belitz, Miranda S. Fram
2021, Science of the Total Environment
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water supplies in the conterminous United State (CONUS), and presence of high nitrate concentrations may limit usability of groundwater in some areas because of the...
Evolution in eruptive style of the 2018 eruption of Veniaminof volcano, Alaska, reflected in groundmass textures and remote sensing
Matthew W. Loewen, Hannah R. Dietterich, Nathan Graham, Pavel Izbekof
2021, Bulletin of Volcanology (83)
Variable eruptive style and explosivity is common in basaltic to basaltic andesite volcanoes but can have uncertain origins. Veniaminof volcano in the Alaska-Aleutian arc is a frequently active open-vent center, regularly producing Strombolian eruptions and small lava flows from an intracaldera cone within an intracaldera ice...
Modes of climate variability bridge proximate and evolutionary mechanisms of masting
Davide Ascoli, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Ian S. Pearse, Giorgio Vacchiano, Susanna Corti, Paolo Davini
2021, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (376)
There is evidence that variable and synchronous reproduction in seed plants (masting) correlates to modes of climate variability, e.g. El Niño Southern Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation. In this perspective, we explore the breadth of knowledge on how climate modes control reproduction in major masting species throughout Earth's biomes. We...
